The Stop Quartet

Holes through which one can see

A critic in The Guardian once wrote ‘If Einstein had ever reflected on dance, it would have looked much like the work of Jonathan Burrows’. The Flemish dance critic Pieter T’Jonck’s comment on this is: ‘This bold statement says something about the precision of Burrows’ work as a dancer and choreographer. What is spectacular about this work is that although he disregards any element of spectacle you still watch open-mouthed, unable to tear your eyes away.’

Last season we revived the marvellous series of humorous duets that Burrows had created with Matteo Fargion in recent years (Both Sitting Duet, The Quiet Dance, Speaking Dance). In the new season we shall be presenting a crucial work in Burrows’ oeuvre, The Stop Quartet, which was first performed, in stages, in 1996.

The Stop Quartet is based on the idea that each of the layers of the performance – dance, music and light – have holes cut in them through which one can see other layers. The choreography is a web of rhythmic counterpoint. This leads to constant watchfulness and alertness among the dancers, as we later saw in the duets by Burrows and Fargion.

This revival includes not only Burrows, but also Henry Montes and Ragnhild Olsen, who were in the original cast, and others. The music was co-written by Kevin Volans and Matteo Fargion.